Senior Tory MP tells conference: 'Any one of you could become a trade negotiator'

Reuters/Luke MacGregor LONDON — Britons have no need to worry about the UK's lack of trade negotiators dedicated to dealing with Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, because any intelligent person can do the job, a senior Conservative party MP said.

Redwood then told an audience of bankers, asset managers, economists, and a handful of journalists: "Any one of you could become a trade negotiator. It wouldn't be too difficult."

Redwood, who served in several ministerial positions during John Major's premiership, was addressing the suggestion that Whitehall, and particularly Liam Fox's Department for International Trade (DIT), is woefully understaffed when it comes to having enough negotiators to successfully navigate Brexit. DIT is also struggling to attract talent, according to some reports.

In particular, trade experts are deterred by the prospect of a hard Brexit, an approach which they believe would see controlling inward migration prioritised over access to the EU's Single Market. A set of notes carried by an aide to MP Mark Field photographed on Monday seemed to confirm that Britain won't retain single market membership.

During his appearance, Redwood — who strongly favoured Brexit — also tried to put aside fears about the complexities of individual trade deals and how long they will take, saying that: "Doing a trade deal is no more or less difficult than most other things in government."